1950 Willys Truck re-rebuild by 50wllystrk

3 minute(s) of a 620 minute read

Ahh, you all are too kind.

If this thread inspires, if this thread drives, if this thread teaches, if this thread breaks down some mysteries, if this thread introduces or opens new thoughts, if this thread opens doors. Give yourselves a pat on the back, for none of this would happen if you didn't have an open mind to learn and move forward.  

The body work is indeed in need of repair. There are areas that, just like the frame, have to be addressed before they get out of hand. There might be a pause in progress in a month or so. It has some duties before winter. But if all goes according to plan, over the winter the engine, transmission, and body will be filling this thread. With the enthusiasm I have had on this build so far, I'll try to maintain the detail that I have so far.

One thing I didn't plan on was working 6 days a week, it has slowed the progress, but even at 1 or 2 hours a night, I'll keep moving forward.

Going back to the first post about the axle work I mentioned the pinion having a loose feel to it. I've posted the bearing race and how it had deteriated with age and use.
One advantage about this axle rebuild is retaining the old ring and pinion. In most cases I've been able to measure the old shims and replace them with new ones of the same size, EXCEPT... the ones that determine the pre-load on the pinion bearings, as this picture shows.

Even trying to determine the original size didn't work either. The broken ones had taken a beating to where they were not evenly sized anymore. I got close but I still had to shim, check, remove, shim, check, remove and reshim again. I did this 5 times til I got exactly the fit I was looking for. My point.. don't be in a hurry, don't set an alarm clock.
I ended up measuring each shim and marking their sizes and placed them accordingly. It seems each time you want to add or subtract a few thousands, you start all over with a different batch to get the thickness you're looking for.